The killing fields (and gardens) – an ‘organic’ alternative?

By JEREMY CHERFAS

SLUGS AND SNAILS probably tempt more organic gardeners from the true
path than any other pest. But the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA),
based near Coventry in the Midlands, is working hard to come up with improved,
and safe, methods of control.

The problem with methiocarb and metaldehyde, the two most common slug-killing
chemicals, is that they are not as bad for slugs as they seem (see main
text), and can also harm other wildlife, including pets.

Birds, hedgehogs and toads, all of which eat slugs and snails, can accumulate
the poisons that have made their prey more vulnerable. Methiocarb also kills
worms, insects and rodents, and it may actually increase the slug problem
by laying waste to beneficial animals, such as ground beetles. And dogs,
which have no effect on slugs either way, seem attracted to metaldehyde
pellets, often with fatal consequences.

So what are the alternatives? One is to create a barrier around vulnerable
plants. The idea is to surround the plant with something that slugs prefer
not to crawl over, perhaps because it is an irritant or overtaxes their
slime glands. Crushed egg shells, shredded bark, sharp sand, wood ash and
short hair clippings all have their advocates, but all lose their efficacy
when they become wet.

By far the best anti-slug barrier is a mini-cloche, made from an empty
plastic soft-drink bottle with the bottom cut off. This will keep slugs
away from young seedlings, and can be removed when the plant is large enough,
or left in place if the seedling is a climbing bean that has emerged through
the top of …

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